Baker University students who are confused or undecided about their futures will have the opportunity to find out about life after graduation when alumni come to campus for Career Exploration Week.
The event, which is sponsored by the Career Development Center and Alumni Relations, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day next week in the Harter Union lobby. Different days will be devoted to specific areas of study with sciences Monday, business and computer science Tuesday, communication and mass media Wednesday, liberal arts Thursday and education and health sciences Friday.
CDC Director Susan Wade said the idea for the event came about when more than 1,500 surveys were sent out to alumni asking them how they would like to be involved in helping Baker students. After the surveys were returned and faculty members were consulted, the idea of Career Exploration Week emerged.
Wade said she was pleased with the feedback from alumni.
“I was really surprised about how open the alumni are about giving back to the students,” she said. “The response has been great.”
Wade said 55 alumni are planning on sharing their experiences working in such career fields as sports medicine, financial services, dentistry, law and many others.
“It’s really an opportunity for students to network,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to network and to learn what people are doing.”
Nikki De Simone, a 2003 Baker graduate and a 2005 graduate of Washburn University, said she is planning on attending the event Thursday and is bringing information about her job at Children’s Hope International.
De Simone said CHI is an international adoption agency that focuses on adoptions from China, Vietnam, Russia, Colombia, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan.
De Simone said she plans on talking to students about the value of further education.
“I really want to stress the importance and benefits of grad school,” she said. “I want to share my feelings and help students understand that it’s OK to not get a job right after graduation.”
Assistant Director of Career Development Cassie Gilmore said the alumni, who are attending the event at their own expense, are coming from as far away as San Antonio and Milwaukee. She said some alumni are involved with high profile companies including Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Sprint, Hallmark and the FBI.
“Even if you can’t stay the entire time, just stop by in between classes or on your way to lunch,” she said.
Freshman Taylor Burnett said he is interested in physical education and plans to attend the event Friday.
“Yeah, I would definitely go because I think it’s a good way to become more educated about my career choice,” he said. “I think it would be good to go every day – you never know when you might find something interesting.”